Ekrem İmamoğlu, now-suspended mayor of İstanbul and the presidential candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), is facing up to 8 years and 9 months in prison and a political ban over allegations related to a university diploma he received more than three decades ago.
A 20-page indictment prepared by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office accuses İmamoğlu of “aggravated forgery in a continuous manner.” The case stems from the recent cancellation of his diploma by İstanbul University, which claimed that the degree was obtained through fraudulent means. The indictment has been submitted to a penal court of first instance.
İmamoğlu had his diploma revoked by İstanbul University on Mar 18 and was detained a day later over corruption allegations, eventually leading to his suspension from office and widespread protests by opposition supporters.
According to the indictment, İmamoğlu allegedly "acquired the diploma through deceit and participated in the offense of forgery."
İstanbul mayor's university diploma revoked, blocking potential presidential bid
Background
The investigation into İmamoğlu’s diploma began in February, shortly before his detention on Mar 19. Prosecutors had summoned him to testify over allegations that his business degree from İstanbul University was issued unlawfully.
İmamoğlu, who also serves as chair of both the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality and the Union of Municipalities of Turkey, had transferred from Girne American University to İstanbul University’s Faculty of Business Administration in the early 1990s. The prosecution argued that this transfer was irregular and rendered his diploma invalid.
On Mar 18, İstanbul University announced that it had revoked the diplomas of İmamoğlu and 28 others, citing “nullity” and “manifest error.” On May 6, İmamoğlu’s lawyer Mehmet Pehlivan stated that they had filed a lawsuit against the cancellation decision. That same day, the university deleted İmamoğlu’s diploma record from its database. However, the official notification of this decision was not delivered until 55 days later.
The university submitted a 500-page response to the prosecutor’s office earlier this week, completing the indictment process 133 days after the investigation was launched.
The revocation of the diploma now stands as the primary legal obstacle to İmamoğlu’s candidacy for the presidency. (AB/VK)
